SPRINGFIELD — If there was one moment which perfectly encapsulated Darius Madison’s entire soccer career at La Salle College High, it was a slicing shot off his left foot some 55 seconds into the overtime period back on Nov. 2.

That shot, that moment, that ball finding the back of the net, fulfilled Madison’s biggest goal since he first stepped foot on campus.

The Explorers had won the Philadelphia Catholic League title.

“That is still one of the greatest feelings in the world to me,” Madison said. “Every time I see that play, it brings a smile to my face.”

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From a freshman season when La Salle came up short in the PCL championship, to sophomore and junior seasons where they did not get to the final, this was a quest for La Salle and for its most gifted player.

“This was a personal goal for my senior year, along with the team goal,” he said. “We had to win. I felt like I needed to win one. I owed it to La Salle for my four years here.”

The 2-1 overtime victory against Father Judge that day, in which Madison scored both Explorer goals, paid off the self-imposed debt in full.

For his exciting play in the league tournament and for also leading La Salle to its first District 12 Class AAA championship and first PIAA state playoff appearance, Darius Madison has been named The Times Herald Player of the Year for boys soccer.

“Darius has had a lot of good teammates around him, but not a lot of players who can do what he did,” said La Salle head coach Bob Peffle, who won his 350th match during the season and his sixth PCL title on Madison’s goal. “He’s a special player.

“He really set his mind to doing that this year. When he needed to do something big, he was willing to go out and do it.”

Four years ago, Madison arrived at La Salle with big dreams and an immediate impact, stepping right into the rotation as a freshman.

He fully admits he had some developing to do on the field, and off it, too. That final step came this year.

“The biggest thing that I got better with this year was my attitude,” said Madison, 17. “Every time something goes wrong, after I calmed down, I realized I acted wrong or overreacted. I really needed to learn to cut the bad attitude.

“I think people thought before, ‘If you get in his head, you can take him out of his game.’ So, they were trying to take me out of my game and I was letting them.”

His objective for this year was to not let anyone get in his head at all, and maybe use his skills to get in theirs. For a team which went 19-2 overall and outscored league opponents 61-1, and for a player who tallied 20 goals during the year, it all appears to have worked out just fine.

“From last year to this year, the biggest improvement in his game is not even a technical area,” Peffle said. “Darius really matured a lot, not only for his game, but as a person.

“When you are that talented, you draw a lot of attention. They’ll throw anything at you to try to slow you down.”

Some of the attention he drew also came from the top college soccer programs around the country, Madison deciding last month to attend the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers having won their most recent NCAA championship in 2009.

“Coming to La Salle as a freshman,” he said, “I never thought I could be at that level to get to go to a national champion. That’s mind-boggling.”

Additionally, the Philadelphia Union have made inquiries about possibly adding Madison as another homegrown signee to the team. That could be in his future.

“Looking back, we are talking about an unbelievably talented young man thrown right in there,” Peffle said. “From day one to his senior year, he has really improved.

“He has always involved his teammates. He had nearly as many assists this year as he had goals. You have to be a team player and he gets that.”

In fact, when asked if there was anything more Madison would have liked to have achieved out of his four years at La Salle, the response was team-directed.

“If I could do it all over again,” he thought, “I would really want us to win another PCL, maybe a state title. That would be big for the school.”

It would have been big for Madison, as well.

Yet, if there is one singular moment he will take away from his high school soccer career, that kick on Nov. 2 is a pretty good one to have all on its own.